Usaid bin Hudair bin Simak narrated that:the Messenger of Allah ruled that if a man found (his goods) in the possession of a man who was not guilty, then if he wished he could give the man what he had paid for it, or if he wished he could go after the one who had stolen it. Abu Bakr and 'Umar passed similar judgments.
أَخْبَرَنِي هَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أُسَيْدُ بْنُ حُضَيْرِ بْنِ سِمَاكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَضَى أَنَّهُ إِذَا وَجَدَهَا فِي يَدِ الرَّجُلِ غَيْرِ الْمُتَّهَمِ فَإِنْ شَاءَ أَخَذَهَا بِمَا اشْتَرَاهَا وَإِنْ شَاءَ اتَّبَعَ سَارِقَهُ وَقَضَى بِذَلِكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ .
Nesai
The Book of Financial Transactions • Hadith 4679